Kars4Kids

Because kids are our future

On May 4, 2017, it came to the attention of Charity Navigator that Kars4Kids is the subject of a compliance review by The Minnesota Attorney General's office according to a press statement titled, "Swanson Issues Compliance Report on Kars4Kids: Charity with well-known radio jingle overstates charitable work, lacks disclosures." For this reason, we have issued a Moderate Concern CN Advisory. For more information regarding the charges reported, please see The MInessota Attorney General Office's press statement.

Charity Response

Kars4Kids provided Charity Navigator with the following response:

"We had detailed and productive conversations with the Minnesota Attorney General’s office for months prior to her issuing this report and are continuing to review her recommendations. There are several important points to note in regard to this report.

The focus of the Attorney General’s report was on the fact that less money was spent on children and programs in Minnesota than was raised in that state. This is true and we have never claimed otherwise. As a community-based national organization founded and headquartered in the Northeast, it is only natural (and perfectly legal) for our charity recipients to be concentrated in this area, though we do have children and programs across the country.

The Attorney General investigated Kars4Kids at length and did not see any reason to take legal action against the organization. In fact, the report makes clear that there has never been any question of diversion of funds from the charity. While like any healthy organization- especially one whose revenue stream comes largely from car donations- marketing and advertising is a necessary expense to enable growth, Kars4Kids’ administrative expenses are low by any standards. Our executive salaries are public and show there are no pockets being lined here.

The donation of a vehicle incurs considerable expenses that are not typically present in a cash donation. Kars4Kids strives to minimize these expenses to the greatest extent possible. We use generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in our financial filings, which are scrutinized by auditors and adhere to strict IRS guidelines. In part of the report, the Attorney General openly acknowledges there exists a lack of clarity in how charities are to report their Form 990s and how they allocate funds among and between programs and related costs, expenses and the like.

The Attorney General’s report also highlighted the relationship between Kars4Kids and Oorah. As our website clearly states, much of our charitable programming is done in conjunction with our sister charity Oorah, also a nationally recognized Jewish nonprofit organization. Oorah’s programs include mentorship and youth programs, school placement and tuition assistance, summer camp, holiday and family events.

Given this perspective, donors to Kars4Kids can rest assured they are supporting a worthy cause with the donation of their vehicle."

This charity has received a Moderate Concern Advisory due to an open or pending investigation regarding allegations of possible illegal activity, improper conduct, organizational mismanagement, or other matters of concern. Please note that this investigation has not concluded and that the allegations being investigated have not been confirmed by the U.S. legal system. Charity Navigator aims to provide donors and users with as much information as possible in order to make an informed giving decision. This advisory will be updated once we become aware that the investigation is completed. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors of sources used for the reported information, and not those of Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator is not responsible for the nature or content of the information presented through such external sources and websites. For more information on how or when we decide to publish a CN Advisory, please review our methodology.

Mission

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Kars4kids funds educational, developmental, and recreational programs for Jewish youth and their families. Our goal is to foster a generation of well-balanced, productive adults. Our means to accomplish this goal is to provide children and their families with a strong network of personal guidance and educational resources, individualized to their needs. Our wide array of services is designed to maximize each facet of a child's development - academic, social and cultural.
Kars4kids overall areas of activity consist of educational programming, school placement, tuition assistance, mentorship programs, cultural activities, weekend retreats, religious instruction, summer camps, recreation and guidance counseling.
Kars4Kids is a registered nonprofit Jewish organization who, together with Oorah, our sister charity, helps thousands of children.

Mission

▲

Kars4kids funds educational, developmental, and recreational programs for Jewish youth and their families. Our goal is to foster a generation of well-balanced, productive adults. Our means to accomplish this goal is to provide children and their families with a strong network of personal guidance and educational resources, individualized to their needs. Our wide array of services is designed to maximize each facet of a child's development - academic, social and cultural.
Kars4kids overall areas of activity consist of educational programming, school placement, tuition assistance, mentorship programs, cultural activities, weekend retreats, religious instruction, summer camps, recreation and guidance counseling.
Kars4Kids is a registered nonprofit Jewish organization who, together with Oorah, our sister charity, helps thousands of children.

Financial Charts

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Programs (FYE 12/2016)

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Program names and associated costs are listed for the top programs as reported on the charity's most recently filed Form 990. The top programs displayed will include the largest three programs, or those programs covering at least 60% of the charity's total expenses, whichever comes first.

Due to an error on this organization's Form 990, we are unable to display program information.

Ratings History

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Within the last year, this charity had a CN Advisory removed. Read More

Ratings History

On May 4, 2017, it came to the attention of Charity Navigator that Kars4Kids is the subject of a compliance review by The Minnesota Attorney General's office according to a press statement titled, "Swanson Issues Compliance Report on Kars4Kids: Charity with well-known radio jingle overstates charitable work, lacks disclosures." For this reason, we have issued a Moderate Concern CN Advisory. For more information regarding the charges reported, please see The MInessota Attorney General Office's press statement.

Charity Response

Kars4Kids provided Charity Navigator with the following response:

"We had detailed and productive conversations with the Minnesota Attorney General’s office for months prior to her issuing this report and are continuing to review her recommendations. There are several important points to note in regard to this report.

The focus of the Attorney General’s report was on the fact that less money was spent on children and programs in Minnesota than was raised in that state. This is true and we have never claimed otherwise. As a community-based national organization founded and headquartered in the Northeast, it is only natural (and perfectly legal) for our charity recipients to be concentrated in this area, though we do have children and programs across the country.

The Attorney General investigated Kars4Kids at length and did not see any reason to take legal action against the organization. In fact, the report makes clear that there has never been any question of diversion of funds from the charity. While like any healthy organization- especially one whose revenue stream comes largely from car donations- marketing and advertising is a necessary expense to enable growth, Kars4Kids’ administrative expenses are low by any standards. Our executive salaries are public and show there are no pockets being lined here.

The donation of a vehicle incurs considerable expenses that are not typically present in a cash donation. Kars4Kids strives to minimize these expenses to the greatest extent possible. We use generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in our financial filings, which are scrutinized by auditors and adhere to strict IRS guidelines. In part of the report, the Attorney General openly acknowledges there exists a lack of clarity in how charities are to report their Form 990s and how they allocate funds among and between programs and related costs, expenses and the like.

The Attorney General’s report also highlighted the relationship between Kars4Kids and Oorah. As our website clearly states, much of our charitable programming is done in conjunction with our sister charity Oorah, also a nationally recognized Jewish nonprofit organization. Oorah’s programs include mentorship and youth programs, school placement and tuition assistance, summer camp, holiday and family events.

Given this perspective, donors to Kars4Kids can rest assured they are supporting a worthy cause with the donation of their vehicle."

Prior to 9/1/2016, Charity Navigator issued Advisories under the name CN Watchlist and Donor Advisory.
For more information on the CN Advisory system click here. This charity was issued a DA.

This donor advisory was published on Wednesday, June 30, 2010

In accordance with our policy for removing Donor Advisories, Charity Navigator removed the Donor Advisory JOY for our Youth on February 1, 2015 because the Donor Advisory had been in place for more than a year (since June 2010) and because the issue that prompted the Donor Advisory has been resolved. Specifically:

The Charities Bureau of the New York State Office of Attorney General confirmed that it does not intend to take any enforcement action against the charity and confirmed the inquiry into the matter is now closed. Please see a copy of the letter here.

Charity Navigator had published a Donor Advisory for this charity because we became aware of the following information in connection with this charity:

On April 27, 2012, News 4 NY reported that "the financial statements filed by Oorah and JOY indicate attorneys general in both New York and New Jersey were also investigating the charity in 2010." For more information, please see the news report.

On June 15, 2010, the New York attorney general announced an industry-wide investigation into car donation charities after a review found fraudulent practices that deceived donors and diverted funds from those in need.
JOY for our Youth, Inc. d/b/a Kars 4 Kids was among the charities that received a subpoena from the New York attorney general. The subpoena seeks materials relating to the revenues that it collected through its car donation program and how that revenue was used by the charity. The subpoena also seeks evidence to support the representations made in solicitations to potential vehicle donors. For more information, see the attorney general’s website.

On April 15, 2012, The Wall Street Journal reported that Oorah, a charity associated with JOY for our Youth Inc d/b/a Kars 4 Kids, applied to be exempted from real-estate taxes on the grounds it is a charity. The article states that "they have to in fact satisfy the assessing authorities that the property is being used for a tax-exempt charitable purpose".

2007-12

07/01/2009

76.47

two stars

Historical CN Advisories

12/15/2016-05/17/2017: Low Concern Advisory

Kars4Kids is affiliated with Oorah, which currently has a Moderate Concern CN Advisory. For this reason, we have issued a Low Concern CN Advisory on Kars4Kids. For more information, please see the Advisory on Oorah and The New York Post article that describes the events that led to Oorah's Advisory.